Becalmed! There is nothing to describe being motionless at sea after 26 days especially when the heat is beating down on you all day. With the rising of the sun what wind we had disappeared and we started to bob. There was no point in putting up any sails as they flapped, bumped and groaned as they were thrown around by the rocking of the boat. The sea was almost flat with the occasional light swell. We can’t do anything about either as we have no motor to ride on. We know we can’t make cut off on the 1st so motoring is what we would have done today. Talking to Mark, the skipper, he has not been stuck like this very often either as normally he would motor under these circumstances. No one is speaking much and it is difficult to read. Everyone is moving around from one place to another trying to find a better cooler place.

Mark made bread to keep himself occupied and later found him sitting on the floor in the galley as this was the coolest place being close to water. We swam quite often but there is jelly fish in the water that are following us and Kevin and Warwick have been stung. The water is very warm and you have to dive down a few meters to get to refreshing cold water. Then back on board to the heat and boredom! Shaun stayed in the cockpit focused on willing the wind to appear. At one stage we had 7 squalls surrounding us but none of them managed to find us and bring the rain and wind we were hoping for. Finally at 5.30 pm Shaun leaped up ran outside and started to
pull out the genoa. A squall had found us and we managed to sail along for 30 minutes and cool down with the drizzle it brought. Everyone suddenly appeared in the cockpit excited with the sound but slunk off again when we returned to the bobbing. I can’t wait for the sun to set to start cooling down. Our weather forecast indicates we should get some wind in the evening which did not materialize until 11pm. It was so slight that we barely moved making 1.5 to 2 kts.

Early evening Warwick cut the letters of RIO into Kevin’s hair at the back of the head. I guess he knows he can shave it off as he normally bald. I now call him Ric as the “O” is not so well done. Shaun made his famous pasta for dinner. It looks similar to all the other pastas we have had out here to me though and I made another plan. I think some of us have lost some weight. It hard to know when you are seeing everyone so closely on a daily basis. Although we are eating well, the portions are quite small. The rocking and rolling of the boat even when you are sleeping must have your muscle working and using energy. There was the crash diet for some at the beginning of the trip when they did not eat for 4 days due to sea sickness as well. I was not one of those though.

As the sun set the humor on the boat came back and we chatted and listen to the obligatory T-Rex. Everyone slowly went to bed and left me on deck as I had the 10 to 12pm watch. We needed to keep watch especially carefully and if we saw any ships coming our way put on the deck lights etc. to make us as big as possible. It difficult to move ourselves out of the way without wind and a motor. We have not seen a ship in quite some time now. Jean and Warwick claim they heard whales the previous night but did not see them and I was hoping they would return in all their splendor.